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11 Mar 2016

New Brunswick Liberal Party support declines after surge in support last quarter

Support for the New Brunswick Liberals decreases this quarter after a surge in support in November

More New Brunswick residents are currently dissatisfied than satisfied with the performance of the provincial government

Premier Gallant remains the preferred party leader by a comfortable margin although support is down from last quarter

HALIFAX, NS March 11, 2016: Preference for the New Brunswick Liberals declines slightly after surging in support last quarter, according to the most recent survey conducted by Corporate Research Associates Inc.

The New Brunswick Liberal Party continues to be the preferred party, with just under one-half of New Brunswick decided voters supporting the party (45%, down from 55% in November 2015). Meanwhile, one-quarter back the PC Party of New Brunswick (27%, compared with 25%), while two in ten residents support the New Brunswick New Democratic Party (NDP) (18%, up from 12%). Green Party of New Brunswick support is stable (8%, compared with 7%), while two percent of voters back the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick (compared with 1%). The number of residents who are undecided rests at 29 percent (compared with 25%), while seven percent refuse to state a preference (compared with 9%), and five percent support none of the parties or do not plan to vote (compared with 3%).

Four in ten New Brunswickers are satisfied with the performance of the provincial government (43%, down from 53% three months ago), while one-half are dissatisfied (49%, up from 36%). Meanwhile, seven percent do not offer an opinion on the matter (down from 12%).

Premier Brian Gallant’s personal popularity declined this quarter, with three in ten New Brunswick residents preferring Gallant for Premier (30%, down from 39%), while support for PC interim leader Bruce Fitch stands at 19 percent (up from 13%). Meanwhile NDP leader Dominic Cardy is preferred by one in ten (10%, compared with 8%), while a similar number (10%, compared with 9%) prefer David Coon of the Green Party, and two percent (compared with 3%) prefer Kris Austin of the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick. Nine percent of New Brunswick residents prefer none of these leaders or identify others (compared with 7%), while 20 percent (compared with 21%) do not offer a definite opinion.

These results are part of the CRA Atlantic Quarterly®, an independent telephone survey of Atlantic Canadians, and are based on a sample of 763 adult New Brunswickers, conducted from February 10 to March 2, 2016, with overall results accurate to within ±3.6 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times.

Corporate Research Associates (CRA), www.cra.ca, is one of Canada’s leading public opinion and market research companies. Founded in 1978, CRA is dedicated to providing clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services. CRA is a Certified Gold Seal Member of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA), which sets stringent standards as a condition of membership, and enforces those standards through independent audits. Follow us on Twitter @CRAInsight.

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